The Letter for the King facts for kids

The Letter for the King (which in Dutch is De brief voor de koning) is a famous adventure and fantasy book. It was written by the Dutch author Tonke Dragt and first came out in 1962.

This book is so popular that it was chosen as the best Dutch youth book from the second half of the 20th century! There are also two more books in the series: Geheimen van het Wilde Woud (which means The Secrets of the Wild Wood), published in 1965, and a collection of short stories called Het gevaarlijke venster en andere verhalen (The Dangerous Window and Other Stories) from 1979.

The Letter for the King has been translated into many languages. People in Denmark, England, Germany, France, Japan, and many other countries can read Tiuri's adventures!

How the Story Began

Tonke Dragt loved the Middle Ages from a young age. She especially enjoyed reading old English stories about brave knights.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Dragt worked as a drawing teacher. To keep her students interested, she would tell them short stories. She often stopped at an exciting part, a "cliffhanger," so the students could draw what they imagined would happen next.

One day, Dragt told her students about a young squire named Tiuri. He was spending his last night as a squire in a chapel, getting ready to become a knight. He was not allowed to speak or listen to anything outside. But then, a voice outside whispered, "Please, open the door!"

Dragt asked her students, "What would you do?" Then they drew pictures. She also drew a map of the lands Tiuri would travel through, like the Kingdom of Unauwen and the Kingdom of Dagonaut. This story really captured her imagination, and she decided to write it down on her typewriter.

The Adventure Begins

The Letter for the King takes place in a make-believe world that looks a lot like the Middle Ages. It's a story about a young person's big adventure. He has to find a special letter, and along the way, he learns a lot about himself.

Tiuri's Quest

The story starts with 16-year-old Tiuri. He is a squire, which is like a knight in training. The night before he is to become a knight, he must stay awake all night in a small chapel. This is a very old tradition.

But then, a stranger knocks on the chapel door, asking for help. Tiuri, who is very honorable, breaks the rules and goes outside. The old man gives him a sealed letter. He begs Tiuri to deliver it to a knight in black armor with a white shield, who is staying at a nearby inn.

Tiuri agrees. But when he gets to the inn, he finds out the knight he's looking for has left. He was challenged by another knight, this one with a red shield. Tiuri follows their path into the forest. There, he finds the knight with the white shield, Sir Edwinem, dying from a sneaky attack.

Sir Edwinem learns Tiuri has the letter. He asks Tiuri to take it to the wise King Unauwen in the western kingdom. He also tells Tiuri to find a hermit named Menaures in the mountains. Menaures will show him a secret path. Tiuri promises to complete this very important mission. He stays with the knight until he passes away.

Dangers on the Road

Soon, Tiuri finds himself in danger. Riders in red, who work for the knight with the red shield, start hunting him. To escape, Tiuri takes Sir Edwinem's powerful black horse, Ardanwen, who accepts him as his new rider.

Tiuri is also chased by four knights in grey. They want to kill him because they think he murdered Sir Edwinem. He even loses his horse for a short time to some robbers. But he gets help from a friendly forest-dweller named Marius and some kind monks.

Eventually, Tiuri reaches a castle called Mistrinaut. There, the Grey Knights capture him. They are Sir Edwinem's close friends and truly believe Tiuri is the killer. But the lord of the castle, Sigirdiwarth Rafox, and his daughter Lavinia, help Tiuri. They give him weapons to defend himself. Tiuri manages to convince the Grey Knights that he is innocent. He even becomes friends with them, especially their leader, Ristridin.

From Ristridin, Tiuri learns more about Sir Edwinem. He was a famous hero from King Unauwen's kingdom. The letter Tiuri carries and Sir Edwinem's death are part of a big problem between King Unauwen's kingdom and another kingdom called Evielan.

Through the Mountains

With the Grey Knights, Tiuri survives an attack by the Red Riders. He safely reaches the base of the mountains. There, he says goodbye to the knights.

As he goes to find Menaures, he meets a man named Jaro. Jaro says he is a pilgrim seeking advice from the hermit. Tiuri later saves Jaro from falling into a deep ravine.

Tiuri and Jaro then meet Menaures and a young mountain boy named Piak. Menaures offers Piak's help as a guide for Tiuri. Soon after they leave, Jaro admits he is one of the Red Riders sent to kill Tiuri. But because Tiuri saved his life, Jaro cannot harm him. Before he leaves, Jaro warns Tiuri about another dangerous Red Rider named Slupor.

Piak overhears this and promises to help Tiuri. As they cross the mountains, the two boys become very good friends.

Reaching the King

Tiuri and Piak safely arrive in King Unauwen's kingdom. But there are spies everywhere. In the city of Dangria, the mayor, who secretly works for the enemy, tries to put the boys in prison. Piak creates a distraction, allowing Tiuri to quickly read the letter's contents and destroy it.

When Tiuri tries to free Piak, angry citizens help him. They have been unhappy with the mayor for a long time. Piak is freed, and the mayor's true loyalties are revealed. But Tiuri and Piak don't wait around. They run away before the new town council can question them.

Their next challenge is at the Rainbow River, where there's a castle that collects tolls. Without money, Tiuri and Piak try to cross secretly. But their boat sinks, and they are captured. When Tiuri is brought before Sir Ardian, the local Lord of Customs, he offers Sir Edwinem's ring as a deposit for their release.

Sir Ardian recognizes the ring. After hearing about Sir Edwinem's death and Tiuri's important message for the king, he immediately sends the boys with an escort to the capital city. Slupor, the dangerous Red Rider, tries one last time to attack Tiuri at the city gates, but he is caught and arrested.

Finally, Tiuri and Piak deliver the message to King Unauwen. The letter was a warning about dangerous plans. The king rewards Tiuri and Piak for their brave service.

The Journey Home

Soon after, Tiuri and Piak start their journey back to King Dagonaut's kingdom. They follow the same path. When they reach Menaures' home, Piak feels torn between his friendship with Tiuri and his home in the mountains. He says goodbye to Tiuri, who continues alone.

On his way, Tiuri meets many of his friends again, including Ristridin. Ristridin invites him to his castle in the spring.

Tiuri returns to the capital of King Dagonaut's kingdom. The king and his family welcome him back. To Tiuri's great surprise, he is made a full knight! Even though he broke the rules of tradition, Tiuri proved he was already a true knight because of his honor, dedication, and kindness. Tiuri's happiness is complete the very next day when Piak arrives, having changed his mind and decided to join Tiuri as his friend and squire.

The story of Tiuri and Piak continues in the book Geheimen van het Wilde Woud.

Other Versions

The Letter for the King has been made into other forms of entertainment:

• In 2007, it became a musical play.
• A movie based on the book, starring Derek de Lint, came out in 2008.
• In 2018, Netflix bought the rights to make an English-language TV series. It was filmed in New Zealand and Prague. The Netflix series was released on March 20, 2020. This series changed some things from the original book, like adding magic and changing Tiuri's background.

Awards the Book Won

• 1963: Kinderboek van het Jaar (Children's Book of the Year) for De brief voor de koning. This award later became the Gouden Griffel.
• 2004: Griffel der Griffels for De brief voor de koning. This special award was for the best Dutch children's book of the past fifty years!

Images for kids

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  A robot for kids

See also

In Spanish: Carta al rey para niños